Physiochemically designed fat compositions from tallow

ABSTRACT

Beef tallow is partitioned into five well defined fractions, each having its own distinctive fatty acid and glyceride composition and its own distinctive thermal characteristics, by a precise multi-step crystallization. Two of the five fractions are crystalline, one is a plastic solid and two are liquid. One of the liquid fractions accounts for 60% of the tallow and has a variety of uses in the formulation of salad oils, margarines and liquid and plastic shortenings. The composition and properties of the plastic solid fraction are very similar to those of cocoa butter and when it is mixed with cocoa butter it does not produce any significant change in thermal characteristics. In fact, an increment of one of the crystalline fractions or of one of the liquid fractions can be blended with an increment of the solid plastic fraction to make products that are compatible with cocoa butter and that have desirable thermal characteristics. However, when an increment of the other crystalline fraction is blended with an increment of the solid plastic fraction, the resulting product has undesirable thermal characteristics.

A non-exclusive, irrevocable, royalty-free license in the inventionherein described, througout the world for all purposes of the UnitedStates Government, with the power to grant sublicenses for suchpurposes, is hereby granted to the Government of the United States ofAmerica.

This is a division of application Ser. No. 642,837, filed Dec. 22, 1975,which is now U.S. Pat. No. 4,049,839, issued Sept. 20, 1977, which inturn is a division of Ser. No. 337,789, filed Mar. 5, 1973 and now U.S.Pat. No. 3,944,585.

Beef tallow is a complex material consisting predominently of esters ofglycerol and fatty acids. The majority of the fatty acids have from 14to 18 carbons in their chain length and are both saturated andunsaturated. For the purposes of this invention a typical beef tallowhas the following fatty acid composition:

    ______________________________________                                        Acid                 Percent                                                  ______________________________________                                        hexadecanoic         26                                                       hexadecenoic          5                                                       octadecanoic         15                                                       octadecenoic         44                                                       ______________________________________                                    

The remaining 10% of the beef tallow fatty acids occur in minorconcentrations.

The physical characteristics of tallow or of tallow fractions depend notonly on the component fatty acids but also on the manner in which theseacids are distributed on the glyceride molecule. The number of componentglycerides is very large since only five fatty acids can theoreticallyproduce 125 triglycerides, including all position isomers. To simplifythe problem of composition, fats are frequently described in percentagesof fatty acids and types of closely related glycerides. By designatingthe saturated and unsaturated acyl group as S and U, respectively, thefollowing six triglyceride types can be formulated depending on thenumber and position of saturated and unsaturated groups in each:

    ______________________________________                                        Glyceride Types                                                               1      2        3        4      5      6                                      ______________________________________                                         ##STR1##                                                                             ##STR2##                                                                               ##STR3##                                                                               ##STR4##                                                                             ##STR5##                                                                             ##STR6##                              ______________________________________                                    

Beef tallow contains a great number of glycerides which exhibit avariety of physical properties. Some are solid or semi-solid at roomtemperature while others are liquid. Combined in their natural statethey make tallow a material with very limited uses.

Consequently, it is an object of this invention to prepare from tallow,glyceride mixtures having predetermined physical characteristics thusincreasing the usefulness of tallow and making it the source of avariety of tailor-made fats with specific utilities.

Another object of this invention is to prepare from beef tallow,specific glyceride mixtures, each with its own distinctive thermalcharacteristics and its own specific utility.

Still another object of this invention is to prepare from tallow,specific glyceride mixtures, each with its own distinctive glyceridecomposition.

A further object of this invention is to prepare from tallow, specificglyceride mixtures that can be made into or added to a variety of foodproducts.

In general, according to the present invention, beef tallow ispartitioned into five well defined fractions, each having its owndistinctive fatty acid and glyceride composition and its own distinctivethermal characteristics, by a precise multi-step crystallization.Although acetone is the preferred solvent, other solvents such aspetroleum ether, methyl ethyl ketone or methyl isobutyl ketone may beused. Two of the five fractions are crystalline, one is a plastic solidand two are liquid.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A, 2A, and 3A represent DSC thermal profiles of various fatfractions.

FIGS. 1B, 2B, and 3B represent GLC profiles of various fat fractions.

FIGS. 4 and 5 represent respectively the DSC thermal and GLC curves forcocoa butter.

FIGS. 6A and 6B represent respectively the DSC thermal and GLC curvesfor a 50--50 mixture of cocoa butter and a fat fraction.

FIGS. 7A and 7B represent respectively the DSC thermal and GLC curvesfor a liquid fat fraction.

FIGS. 8A and 8B represent respectively the DSC thermal and GLC curvesfor another fat fraction.

FIGS. 9 and 10 represent DSC thermal profiles for mixtures of cocoabutter with various fat fractions.

Heretofore, the physical and chemical characteristics of these fivefractions would have been described by their melting point, solid-fatindex and iodine values. These classical analytical values yield littlespecific information on the complex chemical nature of the componentglycerides or the multi-crystalline behavior they exhibit. In order toprepare glyceride mixtures having specific physical characteristics andto describe each mixture in terms that are meaningful relative to itschemical composition and physical behavior, we used modern andsophisticated techniques of thermal analysis and gas liquidchromatography (GLC).

Thermal energy is absorbed or evolved during a physical or chemicalchange in a sample. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) is anapplication of thermal analysis in which these physical or chemicalchanges are measured directly in energy units. From the thermal profile,the relative purity of a crystalline compound as well as the meltingpoint, the heat of fusion, the specific heat and in the case of fattymaterials, the polymorphic form or forms can be determined. Glyceridesin common with almost all long chain compounds exhibit the phenomenon ofpolymorphism or the ability to exist in more than one crystal form.Polymorphism is more easily observed in natural fats when they arerelatively simple in composition and consist of a few predominatingglycerides. Glycerides can exist in at least 3 or more polymorphicforms. The Beta is the highest melting and most stable form, Beta primeis intermediate and Alpha is the lowest melting form of the crystallinefat.

An understanding of polymorphic change is essential for the satisfactoryblending and tempering of those fats which must maintain a certainphysical appearance during preparation and storage. The polymorphic formof the triglycerides determines the consistency, plasticity, graininessand other physical properties. Cocoa butter is an outstanding example ofa strongly polymorphic fat. It is readily temperable to a stable Betacrystalline form, and fat fractions suitable as a replacement for cocoabutter must have similar thermal characteristics.

Gas liquid chromatography is a powerful tool for the separation of manycomplex mixtures. Fatty acids and similar compounds have long beenanalyzed by GLC, but it is only in recent times that columns andtechniques have been available to analyze the high molecular weighttriglycerides. With this tool, we have been able to characterize beeftallow and other fats including tallow fractions and cocoa butter inexact terms of the carbon number of the component triglycerides. The GLCcurve of the component glycerides is characteristic of the compositionand the composition is more readily obtained this way than by theprevious procedure of separating glyceride classes.

In effect, using these powerful techniques we have obtained for eachfraction or product a thermal profile which defines the thermalcharacteristics of the fraction and a composition profile which definesthe component glycerides.

This invention differs from other solvent crystallization processesbecause it was specifically designed to prepare from beef tallowspecific individual glyceride mixtures, each having its own distinctivethermal characteristics and its own distinctive glyceride composition.The novelty and the advantages of this invention over knownfractionation and crystallization procedures are easily demonstrated bya direct comparison with other wellknown prior art processes forfractionating and crystallizing beef tallow. For example, when theprocesses described in Examples 2 and 4 of U.S. Pat. No. 2,975,062 werescrupulously followed, the products or fractions obtained had completelydifferent glyceride compositions and DSC thermal profiles than those ofthe products of the present invention. Thus, the products were entirelydifferent than those of this invention and were totally unsuited to ourobjectives. In addition, this invention utilizes all of the tallow inpreparing useful products based on glyceride composition and thermalprofile.

The effectiveness of the process of this invention and thecharacteristics of the fractions obtained are shown in Tables I and II.

Thus, from the multitude of glycerides of beef tallow of thesaturated-unsaturated acid combinations previously described, that is,types 1,2,3,4,5 and 6, specific glycerides are segregated according totheir behavior pattern in solvents such as acetone at varioustemperatures. These fractions have a physical nature far different thanthat of the original tallow but they are still complex mixtures ofglycerides. In describing these fractions according to a major glyceridetype, it is not intended to imply that only this type of glyceride ispresent to the exclusion of all others in the fraction. On the contrary,the fraction composition illustrated by the major glyceride type (TableI) includes minor amounts of at least one additional type of glyceride.The glyceride composition of the fractions will be more specificallyexpressed later by our unique GLC profile of the fractions. From theseprofiles, the relationship of the component fatty acids as glycerides isconveniently expressed and quantitated.

The fatty acid composition of the five fractions is listed in Table II.The major saturated fatty acids, tetradecanoic (C₁₄), hexadecanoic(C₁₆), and octadecanoic (C₁₈) are the S portion of glyceride types1,2,3,4 and 5; while the unsaturated acids, hexadecenoic (C_(16:1)) andoctadecanoic (C_(18:1)) are the U portion of the glyceride types 2,3,4,5and 6.

The glyceride composition of each of the five fractions described withreference to the number of carbon atoms in the fatty acid portion of theglyceride is shown in Table III.

Thermal profiles of each fraction as well as of cocoa butter andmixtures of both were obtained under similar conditions in adifferential scanning calorimeter. Approximately 10 mg. of sample wasused for each profile, the output signal from the instrument to therecorder was attenuated 16X, the heating rate was 10° C. per minute, thechart speed of the recorder was one inch per minute and the atmospherearound the sample was purged at the rate of 13 ml. per minute. Prior torunning the thermal profile, each sample was cooled in the instrument to-15° C. after which it was heated and the profile recorded. That portionof the profile where melting took place is shown in the figuresassociated with each of the fractions and mixtures.

Fraction 1 of this invention is a high melting crystalline solid whichis essentially trisaturated glycerides with a minor amount ofdisaturated monounsaturated glycerides. The DSC thermal profile and theGLC composition profile of this fraction are shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B,respectively.

Fraction 1 as shown by its thermal curve is a sharp, high meltingproduct. It softens at about 40° C., starts melting rapidly at about 50°C. and is completely melted at about 75° C. This fraction can be used toharden shortenings and margarine stock in place of hydrogenated oils.Not only is the hydrogenation step eliminated but the product is free ofoleic acid isomers common to partially hydrogenated oils. It can also beblended with liquid oils with or without catalytic rearrangement toformulate specialty shortenings. Its high ratio of stearic acid makes itvaluable for many non-food uses including cosmetic bases,pharmaceuticals, soaps and as a commercial source of stearic andpalmitic acids.

Fraction 2 is also a crystalline solid and is similar to Fraction 1 inmany ways. Its thermal and GLC profiles are shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B,respectively. It softens and starts melting at about 42° C. and iscompletely melted at 51° C. Fraction 2 is also composed mainly oftrisaturated glycerides and a minor amount of disaturatedmonounsaturated glycerides but it is slightly lower melting thanFraction 1 and can be utilized in much the same way. A unique use ofthis fraction in conjunction with Fraction 3 will be discussed later.

The solid glycerides, Fractions 1 and 2, are useful in any applicationwhere high melting glycerides are needed. Their resemblance tohydrogenated stearines in melting characteristics makes them useful ashardening fats in shortening and margerine formulations where they canbe used to control plasticity and to increase the plastic range withoutthe expense of hydrogenation.

The thermal and GLC profiles of Fraction 3 are shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B.Fraction 3 is a semisolid or plastic solid having composition andproperties very close to those of cocoa butter. The similarity ofproperties is seen by comparing the DSC thermal profile of Fraction 3(FIG. 3A) with that of cocoa butter (FIG. 4). Both soften at about 20°C., starting melting rapidly at about 30° C., and melt completely atabout 37° C. The similarity of the fatty acid composition and componentglycerides of Fraction 3 with those of cocoa butter is seen by comparingthe GLC profile of Fraction 3 (FIG. 3B) with that of cocoa butter (FIG.5). In both Fraction 3 and cocoa butter the major glycerides aredisaturated monounsaturated with minor amounts of trisaturated andmonounsaturated diunsaturated glycerides.

Fraction 3 which, as seen, is similar in thermal characteristics andglycerides to cocoa butter can thus be used as a confectionery fat or asa cocoa butter extender. It has excellent compatibility with cocoabutter and when mixed with cocoa butter produces little change in thethermal characteristics. This is shown by the comparison of the DSCthermal curves of pure cocoa butter (FIG. 4) and a 50/50 mixture ofcocoa butter and Fraction 3 (FIG. 6A). Each begins melting at about 30°C. and is completely melted at about 37° C. The GLC curve of thismixture is seen in FIG. 6B.

Fractions 4 and 5 comprise the liquid portion of beef tallow and containmainly monosaturated, diunsaturated and triunsaturated glycerides. Theyare similar in properties and composition as seen by a comparison oftheir thermal and GLC profiles; Fraction 4, FIGS. 7A and 7B,respectively, and Fraction 5, FIGS. 8A and 8B, respectively. Fraction 4has a slightly higher melting range than Fraction 5 and has utilitysimilar to that of Fraction 2. As seen in FIGS. 7A and 7B, Fractions 4and 5 are not completely solid at -15° C. The final melting of thatportion of each fraction that is solid is shown in the profiles. In eachcase the solid portion is completely melted at about 5° C.

Fraction 5 is the major fraction and accounts for 60% of the tallow. Asa liquid fat Fraction 5 has many uses. It is an ideal starting materialfor the manufacture of salad oil or it can be blended with Fractions 1and 2 as starting material for margarine. Alone, it is also a goodspeciality shortening for use in the automatic bread making industry. Inthe non-food category it can be used as an excellent base for themanufacture of synthetic sperm oil, for the manufacture of foamplastics, and for making lotions, creams, and ointments in cosmetics andpharmaceuticals.

For some confectionery uses, either higher or lower temperature rangesthan those exhibited by Fraction 3 of this invention or by natural cocoabutter may be desirable. Higher temperature range products are made byadding increments of Fraction 2 to Fraction 3. The resulting productsare stable materials containing all the desirable characteristics ofFraction 3, in particular its compatibility with cocoa butter. Theseproducts of higher melting range contain only minor amounts of geometricand positional isomers of oleic acid unlike similar materials preparedfrom oils requiring hydrogenation. The compatibility of a modifiedFraction 3, 80% Fraction 3 and 20% Fraction 2, with cocoa butter isshown in FIG. 9 by the DSC thermal profile of a 50/50 mixture of it andcocoa butter. This modified fraction begins to melt at about 29° C. andis completely melted at about 38° C.

Likewise, lower melting range products are made by adding increments ofFraction 4 to Fraction 3. These lower melting products are alsocompatible with cocoa butter and are desirable for the enrobing of icecream and other similar uses.

The ability to blend increments of Fraction 2 or 4 with Fraction 3 tomake products that have a desired thermal range and that are compatiblewith cocoa butter exemplifies the uniqueness of this invention. AlthoughFractions 1 and 2 seem to be quite similar, the crystal nature ofFraction 1 is such that when added alone or with Fraction 2 to Fraction3, it produces undesirable characteristics in the resulting product.This is demonstrated in FIG. 10 which shows a DSC thermal profile of a50/50 mixture of cocoa butter and a product containing 80% Fraction 3and 20% Fraction 1. The sample softens at about 10° C. and startsrapidly melting at about 18° C. Although the lower melting triglyceridesmelt at about 22° C. as evidenced by the peak, the higher meltingtriglycerides melt over a range of temperatures until the sample iscompletely melted at 39° C. The inclusion of the higher meltingglycerides of Fraction 1 with the fraction resembling cocoa butter(Fraction 3) accentuates the "bloom problem" associated with chocolateconfections. Consequently, for the purposes of this invention, it isimperative that the higher melting glycerides of tallow be removed intwo successive crystallizations to yield two fractions.

For fatty food uses, the fractions all have high levels of acceptancecolorwise, odorwise, and tastewise. For specialized uses requiringextremes of blandness or color, the fractions can be deoderized ordecolorized by any of the accepted commercial procedures. Fractions 3, 4and 5 are susceptible to oxidative rancidity but they can be oxidativelystabilized quite adequately by the addition of appropriate approvedantioxidants. All the fractions are extremely stable to hydrolyticrancidity.

Although, at present, only those products made from edible tall can beused for human consumption, the process of this invention can be appliedto inedible as well as to edible tallow.

This invention is illustrated by the following examples:

EXAMPLE 1

1000 grams of edible beef tallow similar in fatty acid composition tothat previously described was added to 10 liters of acetone. The mixturewas warmed to about 40° C. until all of the tallow was in solution. Thesolution was allowed to cool at 25° C., without stirring, for 16-20hours. At this time, filtration was carried out under moderate vacuumusing an ordinary Buchner funnel. The collected precipitate (Fraction 1)was washed once with 200 ml. of acetone previously cooled to thetemperature of the crystallization. The yield of Fraction 1 was 75grams. The filtrate solution was adjusted to a solvent ratio of 10 to 1and the next crystallization step carried out at a temperature of 2° C.for a period of 16-18 hours. The precipitate was collected as before andthe filtrate after removal of solvent was designated as Fraction 5,yield, 600 grams. The precipitate from 2° C. crystallization wasredissolved in acetone at a solvent/sample ratio of 20 to 1 and thesolution was allowed to crystallize for 16-18 hours at 15° C. withoutstirring. The precipitate from this crystalliztion was collected in thesame manner and designated Fraction 2. The yield of Fraction 2 was 75grams. The filtrate from this crystallization was adjusted to a 15 to 1solvent/sample ratio and the solution was allowed to crystallize at 2°C. for a period of 16-18 hours. The collected precipitate from thiscrystallization was designated Fraction 3. The filtrate after removal ofsolvent was designated Fraction 4. The yield of Fraction 3 was 200 gramswhile the yield of Fraction 4 was 50 grams.

Following is the above fractionation in outline form: ##STR7##

Utility of the tallow fractions isolated in Example 1 is illustrated inthe next four examples. Since these fractions can be used in many otherways and formulations, the following illustrations are not intended tobe limiting in any way.

EXAMPLE 2 Formulation of a Non-hydrogenated Shortening Fat

In the selective hydrogenation of oils for shortening bases, there isusually an increase of 20% or more of saturated acids over that presentin the original oil. With the hydrogenation of the polyunsaturated fattyacids of the liquid oil to monounsaturated acid, there are producedlarge amounts of trans acids. These trans acids impart desirable plasticproperties to the shortenings similar to that imparted by saturatedacids. However, recently, in the lay press and in the scientificjournals, the nutritional value of isomers resulting from thehydrogenation step has been questioned. Plastic shortenings notsubjected to this criticism are formulated using a mixture of corn oil,or cottonseed oil or similar oils and from 35 to 50% of Fraction 1 ofthis invention or of a 50/50 combination of Fractions 1 and 2 accordingto the desired consistency of the final product. When the liquid oil inthe formulation is one of the oils high in linoleic acid content and lowin linolenic acid, a shortening is produced with desirable nutritionaland keeping qualities. The low content of linolenic acid reduces thetendency of the shortening to revert in flavor, yet the content of theessential linoleic acid is high. Also, with the addition of solidglycerides of this invention, the concentration of trans acids in theproduct is low.

EXAMPLE 3 Preparation of a Margarine Base Stock

Fraction 1 of this invention and to a lesser extent Fraction 2 of thisinvention are excellent sources of solid triglycerides. One of thecommon techniques for improving the consistency of liquid oil margarinebases (safflower oil or corn oil) is the addition of solid triglyceridesto the liquid oil. These solid triglycerides or "hardstocks" are usuallyproduced by hydrogenating other liquid oils (cottonseed or soybean oil)to a low iodine number. Fractions 1 and 2 of this invention are a readysource of solid triglycerides and are used to produce margarines byblending 5 to 40% of either of these fractions or a 50/50 mixture ofboth with an appropriate liquid oil such as safflower or corn oil. Theaddition of only 5 to 15% by weight of the solid glycerides to the basemargarine oil produces the so-called "soft margarines." Higherconcentrations of the solid glyceride fractions, 20 to 35% by weightproduces the normal plastic margarines. The margarines produced from theabove mixtures also contain other material such as milk solids, mono ordiglycerides, lecithin, water and accepted flavor and coloringingredients. The use of the solid glyceride fractions of this inventioneliminates the necessity of selectivity hydrogenating oil stocks for theproduction of solid triglycerides. Another advantage of this inventionis that the solid triglycerides produced by this invention have onlyminor amounts of the trans acids about which, as previously stated,there is a question of nutritional value. Both the "soft" margarines andthe "normal" margarines are also made from fat blends of the tallowfractions and the edible oil that have been catalytically rearranged byesterification.

EXAMPLE 4 Formulation of a Confectionery Fat

Fraction 3 of this invention is a unique material whose thermalproperties and composition have been described. This fraction is verysimilar in triglyceride composition and thermal properties to cocoabutter. Because of this, it can be used in many confections to replacecocoa butter or it can be used with cocoa butter over a wide range orproportions without undesirable thermal effects such as formation ofeutectic mixtures and consequent lowering of the meltingcharacteristics. Fraction 3 is a basic material for confectionery uses,in that its melting range is effectively raised or lowered by theaddition of increments of either Fraction 2 or of Fraction 4. Thus, withour invention it is possible to produce a confectionery fat suitable forall types of confectionery coatings. The addition of 5 to 20% ofFraction 4 to the basic Fraction 3 produces a fatty material of lowermelting range that is useful in chocolate type coatings such as whiptoppings or ice cream coatings.

The addition of 5 to 20% of Fraction 2 to Fraction 3 produces aconfectionery fat of higher melting range than cocoa butter yet suitablefor many confectionery coatings and centers as well as coatings forcookies and biscuits and other bakery products.

EXAMPLE 5 Formulations of Salad Oils, Margarines, Liquid Shortenings,and Plastic Shortenings from Fraction 5

A wide variety of oils can normally be used for salad oils. The naturalsalad oils such as olive oil, sunflower oil and safflower oil do notform solids when stored at the usual refrigerator temperatures of 45° F.Other oils must be given a preliminary winterizing whereby highermelting solid triglycerides are removed from the oils. The liquid oil ofthis invention, Fraction 5, does not require winterizing to remainliquid at 45° F. However, if it is required that the oil be liquid afterlong term storage at colder temperatures, such as 40° F, acrystallization inhibitor is added. Fraction 5 is compatible with any ofthe approved inhibitors and it can be winterized by standardwinterization processes or by additional solvent crystallization toremove about 2 to 5% of the higher melting disaturated monounsaturatedglycerides.

Fraction 5 can be modified by any mild rearrangement process usingsodium methoxide or similar catalyst. Complete rearrangement of Fraction5 gives a maximum distribution of the saturated fatty acids producing adecrease in the disaturated monounsaturated glycerides and acorresponding increase in the monosaturated diunsaturated glycerides.This change in glyceride composition of Fraction 5 produces a loweringof the melting range and the rearranged fraction will stay liquid attemperatures substantially lower than the 40° F.

                  Table I                                                         ______________________________________                                               Yield                                                                  Fraction                                                                             %       Nature of Fraction                                                                          Major Glyceride Type                             ______________________________________                                        1      7.5     Solid (crystalline)                                                                         trisaturated-#1                                  2      7.5     Solid (crystalline)                                                                         trisaturated-#1                                  3      20.0    Solid (plastic)                                                                             disaturated-#2, #3                               4      5.0     Liquid        monosaturated-#4, #5                                                          triunsaturated #6                                5      60.0    Liquid        monosaturated-#4, #5                                                          triunsaturated #6                                ______________________________________                                    

                  Table II                                                        ______________________________________                                                  Fraction                                                                            1       2     3     4     5                                   Acid            %       %     %     %     %                                   ______________________________________                                        tetradecanoic                                                                          14:0    4.0     6.0   3.0   4.0   3.0                                hexadecanoic                                                                           16:0   37.0    36.0  32.0  24.0  21.0                                hexadecenoic                                                                           16:1    1.0     1.0   2.0   5.0   5.0                                octadecanoic                                                                           18:0   41.0    34.0  28.0  11.0   8.0                                octadecenoic                                                                           18:1   16.0    21.0  33.0  52.0  58.0                                others           1.0     2.0   2.0   4.0   5.0                                ______________________________________                                    

                  Table III                                                       ______________________________________                                                   Fraction                                                           Carbon       1       2        3     4      5                                  Number       %       %        %     %      %                                  ______________________________________                                        48           12      15       tr     4      5                                 50           31      28       30    18     22                                 52           39      36       49    45     44                                 54           18      21       21    33     29                                 ______________________________________                                    

We claim:
 1. A liquid tallow fraction useful as a base material in theproduction of salad oils, margarines, shortenings, and synthetic spermoil consisting essentially of monosaturated, triunsaturated glycerideshaving a gas-liquid chromatographic profile indicating a compositionhaving 5%, 22%, 44% and 29% of glycerides having carbon numbers of 48,50, 52 and 54, respectively, and a thermal profile indicating that it isnot completely solid at -15° C. and that the portion that does solidifyat -15° C. melts at about 5° C.